Production tubing is deployed into a well to support hydrocarbon recovery. Generally, formation fluid (e.g., hydrocarbons) produced from a formation through which the well extends is received into the production tubing. In some cases, compressed gas (lift gas) is pumped down into the annulus between the wellbore (or the casing) and the production tubing. The lift gas is received into the production tubing via the gas-lift valves or around the end of tubing, along with the formation fluid. Gas-lift valves provided along the length of the tubing string provide an entry point for the lift gas, and the gas assists lightening the fluid gradient and in channeling the formation fluid up through the production tubing and increasing velocity of the hydrocarbons. This process is referred to as “gas lift.” The gas-lift valves may be opened depending on relative pressures to receive the lift gas. A variety of such processes have been implemented successfully in the industry.
In some such gas-lift processes, a packer may be positioned below the lowest gas-lift valve. When set, the packer seals the annulus, but provides a bore therethrough that allows communication with the interior of the production tubing. In some cases, formation fluids may be recoverable from below the packer, and thus the lift gas may be directed to the annulus between the second part of the production tubing (sometimes referred to as a “tail pipe”), again with the assistance of lift gas in the annulus and below. This lift gas, along with produced formation fluids, may be received through an open lower second end of the tail pipe, and then back through the production tubing.
In order for the lift gas to reach the annulus below the production packer, a packer bypass is sometimes used. The bypass provides a flowpath for the lift gas through the packer, separate from the flowpath for the produced fluids proceeding upwards through the packer. However, bypasses are often expensive, may reduce lift gas flow rates, and can be damaged or result in damage to the production tubing, e.g., fluid cuts or erosion in the crossover due to high fluid velocities.